T-62
}} The T-62 is a Soviet main battle tank, a further development of the T-55. Its 115mm gun was the first smoothbore tank gun in use. The T-62 was produced between 1961 and 1975. It became a standard tank in the Soviet arsenal, partly replacing the T-55, although that tank continued to be manufactured in the Soviet Union and elsewhere after T-62 production was halted. The T-62 was later replaced in front-line service by the T-72. History By the late 1950s, Soviet commanders realized that the T-55's 100 mm gun was incapable of penetrating the frontal armor of newer Western tanks like the Centurion and M48 Patton with standard armor-piercing shells. While 100 mm HEAT ammo could have accomplished the task, they were considerably more expensive and required more training of tank crews for proper use. It was decided to up-gun the T-55 with a 115 mm smoothbore cannon, capable of firing APFSDS rounds. Experimental trials showed that the T-55 was inherently unsuited to mount the larger new cannon, and work therefore began on a new tank. The bigger gun required a bigger turret and turret ring to absorb the higher recoil. This in turn necessitated a larger hull, as the T-55 hull was simply too small to accept the new turret. The T-62 thus took shape, marking an evolutionary improvement upon the T-55. In July 1961, Uralvagonzavod in Nizhny Tagil, Malyshev Factory in Kharkiv, Ukraine and Omsk Factory No. 183 replaced part of their T-55 production with the T-62. The original plans were that the T-62 would be produced until Morozov's Ob'yekt 432 tank was developed. T-62 production was maintained at Uralvagonzavod until 1973 when it was replaced on the production lines by the T-72. Until the end of production 20,000 T-62 main battle tanks were produced by Uralvagonzavod. Production in the Soviet Union was stopped in 1975. Czechoslovakia built more than 1,500 T-62 main battle tanks for export after production ceased in the Soviet Union in 1975, and it continued there until 1978. The T-62 entered service with the Soviet Army in July 1961. Because of the firepower of the new 115 mm gun, it was considered to be a formidable tank for the time, despite its drawbacks. Along with the T-55, the T-62 was one of the most common tanks in the Soviet inventory. The two tanks together once comprised approximately 85% of the Soviet Army's tanks. Iraq had some T-62 tanks in its army at the time of the Gulf Wat, but they were outclassed by the Coalition's M1 Abrams and Challenger 1 tanks. Other operators of the T-62 include Ukraine, Cuba, Afghanistan, Angola, Bulgaria, Eritrea, Iran, Egypt, Syria, Israel, and North Korea, who have their own version of T-62, the Ch'onma Ho. Overview and tactics *For 5 points less than the T-55 the T-62 brings 1 extra AP point and 1 extra frontal armour point, however, it lacks the speed (40km/h) and fuel capacity of the other tank, so it will be better used in defensive situations where it can stay close to FOBs and supply units. *A line of T-62s can work as a good screen against enemy assaults, as they are slightly more resilient than other low tier units, and their cannons may have a decent chance of dealing some damage to incoming targets, recon is recommended as these tanks have poor optics. *In case of using them for an assault or defensive manouvers always bring AA support, as they don't even have machine guns they can be picked off easily by enemy helicopters, which may only need their autocannons to destroy them. *T-62s are bad at chasing enemy units due their slow speed, lack of stabilizers and extreme fuel consumption, even when routed an enemy unit may be capable to escape them. *Caution is recommended when dealing with high speed units as they may be capable to outmanouver and outrange the T-62s, in such situations support from faster vehicles and helicopters is always a good idea. Weapons ''European Escalation AirLand Battle Red Dragon'' Gallery WAB_Armory_T-62.jpg|T-62 in the ALB armory WRD_Armory_T-62.jpg|T-62 in the RD armory Trivia See Also * Category:Main Battle Tanks Category:European Escalation tanks Category:AirLand Battle tanks Category:Red Dragon tanks